Epidemic preparedness and innovations in digital healthcare: enhancing post-pandemic speech-language pathology services for child and adolescent mental health in Qatar.

Background: This paper discusses the critical importance of epidemic preparedness and innovations in digital health care by examining the transformative impact on speech-language pathology (SLP) services in a specialist outpatient child and adolescent service (CAMHS).

Method: This retrospective review analyzes referral data from three periods: pre-pandemic (15 March 2019-14 March 2020), pandemic (15 March 2020-14 March 2021), and post-pandemic (15 March 2021-14 March 2022). Statistical analyses assess trends in referrals and diagnoses during these periods.